Page 301 has been a restful Saturday following a very full workday on Friday.  By the end of Friday my brain had become more weary than my body, so today has been an attempt to rest both of them.  I think I’ve had more progress with the body than the mind, but another good night’s sleep ought to help.  

The morning and early afternoon were spent putting together an Impact Prayer Ministry newsletter focused on prayer requests for the Growing Strong retreat aspect of the ministry.  I took a break from writing the newsletter to go to a birthday party for a short while, then emailed out the newsletter when I got back home.

With the day’s focus being on prayer and rest, and a mind that is still a bit foggy, I’ll share some relaxing fall photos to finish out today’s page.  These photos were taken during a late afternoon trip Susan and I took to Potato Creek State Park.  It is always good to have a quiet place to let the mind relax and focus on God’s presence, even if that place is visited through photographs.

Well, I’ve finally reached page 300 in this year’s edition of my page-and-photo-a-day adventure!  You know what that means — only 65 days left in the year!  The day began with an extra jolt to my already addled mind, so it has felt like a longer day than what it has been.  As I went about my early morning tasks, my prayer hymn this morning was “Rock of Ages”.  As I was singing, “Rock of ages, cleft for me; let me hide myself in Thee”, I thought about the pigeons that we saw living in the rock cliffs at a few of the New York state parks we visited last week.  Unless they came out and I caught sight of their movement, they were very well hidden and protected in the hollowed out areas of the canyon walls.  It is often those times when I choose to venture out on my own, away from the presence of God, that I find myself most vulnerable.  

As I was cleaning, the various posters or banners of the “A B C’s & 1 2 3’s”  caught my attention and after the building was ready for the day I discovered a poem that was ready to fall out of my mind.  The seed of the poem was the absolute nature of our understanding of the meaning and value we give to the alphabet and numbers.  This was one that as I started typing the poem out I had no idea where it was going to end up.  Once finished, I could see how it had flowed through my thoughts and I titled it “A Relative Mess“.  After the poem was typed out and added to this blog, I spent some time working in the office before heading outside to clear my mind as much as possible.  It was a cloudy, breezy, chilly day but I fired up the lawn mower and set out to spend some time with God as I mowed lawn and mulched leaves.

By afternoon I had done what needed done outside and I warmed up in my office for a while and watched the birds harvesting the berries from the brush outside my window.  Today’s photo is of one of the cardinals who had paused from the berry eating/collecting just long enough for me to take her photo.  With the breeze blowing against her, you could say she has her dander up and is getting ready for winter.  None of the birds sat still very long and it was difficult to photograph them, but they all were looking rounder than they had all summer as they fill in and fluff out their winter coats.  Once I was warmed up from my mowing project, I headed out to get some cleaning supplies that I would need to finish up the day.  I stopped for a late lunch while I was out and then started the Friday evening cleaning when I got back to work.  My head was starting to buzz, so I kept at the cleaning knowing that if I stopped it would be difficult to motivate myself to get back to it.  By keeping at it, my mind was able to stay focused on the task at hand and I finished with the weekend prep at a decent time.  Since the work had kept my mind focused, when I got done I sat down to write today’s page.  So, with the page nearly written it will be good to soon call it a day and head home where I can rest.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Time generally stands still for no one . . . although there are a couple times recorded in scripture where God did some interesting things with time. 🙂
• Writing something about every day has been a good exercise for me.
• God is always at work.  For me, writing helps me to look for how He was working today.
• When my mind is in a fragile state, it doesn’t take much of a “bump” to cause further disturbance.
• I am thankful for a God in whom I can hide — who is a “cleft for me”.
• When it comes to absolutes, there is nothing as absolute as God.
• Obedience to God doesn’t require that I know all the details of where that obedience will lead.  It only requires that I obey.
• Yes, it is cold out.  But, it is the end of October and even the birds of the air are preparing and expecting it to be cold . . . maybe we should learn something from them. 

Page 299 began with a need to find my gloves and ice scraper as there was a heavy frost on the windshield and windows of my truck.  After clearing the glass so I could safely drive, I made my way to work.  With the coldest night of the season so far, there wasn’t much of a need to check the heating systems when I arrived at work because it was obvious they were working.  As I went about my morning prayer, cleaning, and building prep tasks I found myself singing — I should point out that my singing follows the instructions of Paul to the Ephesians where he says to “sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”  I suppose if it was audible singing that I was doing, we wouldn’t have much of a need for our pest control service. 🙂  This morning’s song that seemed to take center stage in my mind was “The Solid Rock”.  It seems it is so easy and common for people to build on no foundation at all or, at the most, on foundations of sand.  God’s desire is that we not only build our life on the solid foundation of Christ, but that everything we do is built on that same foundation.

Once the building was ready for the day I took the trash out and found a deer standing along the edge of the woods grazing on the frost covered grass and brush.  I asked her to stay put for a while so I could get my camera.  When I came back outside, she seemed very interested in posing and having her picture taken, so I happily obliged.  I had a helper for the day and with an increase in seizures accompanying the unsettled weather, she was content to rest in my office as I worked on sermon and teaching material.  By early afternoon we packed up our things for the day and went to lunch.  After lunch the air temperature was still rather cool but the sun was shining, so we headed down to Potato Creek State Park to photograph the fall foliage.  There was a steady breeze keeping the water surface moving so I wasn’t able to get the reflections I had hoped for but it was still a beautiful afternoon.

Today’s photo is of a milkweed seed head after it has burst open and is waiting for the wind to carry the seeds to far off places.  With the sunlight shining through it, it made me think of how we ought to be bursting with the love of Jesus so that the winds of the Spirit carry the seeds of His love from us to many far off places.  Sometimes we have all of these seeds of the gospel contained within us but our hardened shell has not been broken open and the seeds have no way of getting to where they need to be.  The gospel is the power of God unto salvation and that “dynamite” power ought to explode through our shell so that those seeds can reach the people around us who have not yet found the love of Jesus.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• When you recognize that something is hindering your view, it is imperative that you take the time to clear the “frost” so you can see clearly.
• When you are surrounded by the cold winds of life, the warmth of God’s love is a pleasant feeling to walk into.
• Worship and prayer should be interwoven through our entire life.
• What we build our life on, and what we build our actions on, will determine if either will last for eternity.
• When we are able to live without fear, and without causing fear, we may be surprised at all who become comfortable around us.
• Through His Spirit, God has placed the seeds of the gospel within us and He expects us to open up and let those seeds fly into the lives of the people around us.

Page 298 began as another cold and dreary day, both with the weather outside and with the weather in my mind.  I know that there is a connection between the two areas, and that knowledge helps me to keep pressing on knowing that “this too shall pass”.  The weather that plays a part in wreaking havoc in my mind seems to also mess with the brain wiring of my daughter as she began the day with a seizure.  When I arrived at work, it was a relief to walk into a building that felt comfortable — that was a good sign that the heating systems made it through the first night of the season.

I began the workday by checking the boilers and looking for any signs of leaks that I may not have noticed yesterday.  Everything seemed to be in good shape, so I turned my attention to the morning prayer, cleaning, and building prep routine.  With just over a week until the Growing Strong retreat in northwest Ohio, much of my prayer time focused on that.  The interest expressed in it is more than enough to fill the available space, but so far the actual registrations and commitments haven’t arrived.  I know God’s got this and if I don’t take it out of His hands it will look just like He wants it to, but it is good to keep reminding myself of that fact.

Once the building was ready for the day, I took care of some messages and correspondence then turned my attention to working on the seeds of a sermon for next month.  As I worked, I would keep noticing movement in the brush outside my office window.  I finally caught a glimpse of a bird so fast and tiny I at first thought it was a hummingbird that chose not to head south for the winter.  I eventually saw it more clearly and could tell it wasn’t a hummingbird but it never sat still long enough for me to identify it.  It also wasn’t still enough to photograph, but I did get a shot of the berries that seemed to be attracting the bird to the brush.

By early afternoon my mind was on overload so I made the rounds to check on the heating system before heading home for a late lunch.  After lunch I spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing before a new poem overtook my mind.  I’ve learned over the years that the best thing to do when that happens is to type it out and share it so that it doesn’t take up residence and clog up my thinking even further.  “The Ark of God’s Presence” is a reminder to me that the waves of despair are not nearly as frightening when I’m riding those waves within the ark of God’s loving presence rather than out in them on my own.  As I wrap up the day, my mind is once again getting blurry and Susan is having some light seizure activity so it is probably time to finish up the writing, take my meds, and get some sleep.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• I’m not very good at pretending, and personally I think that is okay.
• Being positive, or having a positive attitude, shouldn’t mean that a person has to be fake.  Sometimes being real about struggles gives a greater witness to the positive power of God.
• Whatever happens here on earth — good or bad — while having an influence on our life, will eventually pass away.  The only things that lasts are the things of God’s kingdom.
• It can be difficult to empty myself of my own desires and trust God to do what’s best, but it is even more difficult to pursue my way if it is in opposition to God’s way.
• Sometimes God reveals His presence in visible ways and other times He moves so quickly that the only purpose is to draw my attention to the things He is moving through.
• When a poem shows up in my mind, I have two choices — either type it out and share it or let it set in my mind and clog up my thoughts.  I’m pretty sure God puts them there to be shared rather than to become a clog. 🙂

Page 297 has been a cool, rainy day.  So cool, in fact, that it felt cold after a long stretch of beautiful fall weather.  I even changed the filter and turned the furnace on last night to take the chill out of the air.  Having to turn the furnace on used to be a big deal for me, but I’ve reached the point that I would rather spend a little money and be comfortable than to find myself freezing in my own home.  Some might think I’ve gotten old and am finally starting to mellow out, but I think it has a lot more to do with finally being debt free and not having to worry so much about how the bills will get paid.  It has not always been easy, and sometimes I may have guarded every last nickel too closely, but there is great freedom to be found in living out the scripture that says to “owe no man anything except the continuing debt to love one another.”  

My workday began with the normal prayer, cleaning, and building prep before turning my attention to the building HVAC systems.  With the cold temperatures moving in overnight and expected to stay for a while, it was time to do the switch-over from cooling to heating.  With nearly all of the flooring either carpet or tile directly over concrete, the building seems to hold its warmth to a point but once the air and ground becomes damp and chilled, the building quickly follows suit.  So, with what seems like miles of piping throughout the building, I prefer to fire up the boilers at a time when I will be in the building to watch for leaks or other issues.  One of the boilers fired up right away but the other took a little coaxing to convince it that now would be a good time to start the season.  Once everything was up and running I kept monitoring it throughout the day as I took care of some office work and correspondence. 

Lunchtime was spent encouraging a friend before heading home to unwind and relax.  Throughout the late afternoon and early evening I spent time starting to put the 1000+ photos from our fall break adventure into online galleries so I can share them with those interested.  Today’s photo is one from last weekend’s adventure as my camera focused in on a few leaves in front of me as I was looking to shoot a wide view of the vast valley below me.  In the peak of the leaf changing season as the hills are covered with the reds, yellows, oranges, and even greens of the millions of leaves of fall, it is easy to let a few leaves go unnoticed.  Yet here they were adding to the beauty whether anyone would ever notice them specifically or not.  Sometimes it is very easy to feel like we’re such a small part of a larger picture that it might not even make a difference if we are in it.  I know because there are times and seasons when I feel that way.  My bit of color seems so small compared to the mountainside of those before me.  Yet this photo reminded me that sharing whatever bit of beauty that God has put within me is all that is required of me.  I don’t have to light up the entire mountainside with vibrant color, I only have to display the presence of God within me no matter how big or small that may seem at any given time.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Living with changing seasons means there are changes that must take place to adapt.
• God says that to everything there is a season — I take that to mean there is a lot of adapting that I will need to do as seasons change.
• Money can be a great servant, but it will always be a terrible master — which role does money have in your life?
• In today’s culture, debt is probably the primary way that money becomes our master.
• I find that having no debt allows me greater freedom in using money to serve.
• We serve best when the only debt we still owe is a debt of love.
• Starting up the heating systems in a building after they have been idle for a few months take a little finesse and a watchful eye.  The same is likely true of anything we have allowed to become idle and need to restart.
• I don’t have to be the entire beauty of Jesus on my mountainside.  I only need the entire beauty of Jesus to be seen in me no matter what my size.

After a long day of travel wrapping up our fall break adventure, page 296 began very early as I met the pest control service tech while the building was empty.  Susan had a seizure before I left for work, and as I was finishing up with the pest control rounds I got a message that she had another one after I left and needed to sleep it off.  While the preschool would be back in session, the school was still off for fall break so I finished up what needed done at the building and then headed home to switch places with my wife so she could be here for preschool and I could keep an eye on Susan.

With the change-up in routine and location, it was a little more difficult to settle into the Monday morning routine that I still hoped to get accomplished even from home.  Once Susan was settled downstairs, I settled in with God to put together the prayer guide for next week.  As I considered a variety of topics, it seemed that each one that came to mind ended up being one I had done within the past year.  In considering topics, then looking to see if I had written a prayer guide on the topic yet, I realized that this will mark the end of 5 years of writing weekly prayer guides — or perhaps begin the sixth year as I began the written weekly prayer focus in 2012 with what was then called “A November to Remember”.  It seemed like a fitting title at the time — to focus a month on daily prayer using a weekly guide to help people get started each day.  As the title may suggest, I didn’t plan on it turning into what it has, but God took that seed and has grown something larger than I ever would have considered.  Now the weekly prayer guide that began as a resource for one church as is sent out to over 200 email subscribers and posted on the Impact Prayer Ministry website where it is viewed around the world on a regular basis.  Wow, God!!

Anyhow, that little side trip down memory lane led me to writing a prayer guide about some things we ought to remember.  I’ve written one in the past about remembrance, but this was different.  Not only did God give instruction throughout scripture on how His people ought to remember Him and His mighty works through special days and memorials, He also gives instruction to each of us on some things we ought to remember.  God knows our tendency to forget things so it was He who instituted monuments and even lists — remember the ten commandments?  I know there are times when a person will come up and tell me something they need done, and if I can’t drop what I’m doing and get to their need right away, my response is always a very standard “write it down and put it in my box”.  It’s not a brush-off or a way of avoiding what needs done, but rather an acknowledgement that I need a reminder or by the time I finish what I’m currently working on I will have forgotten the new request.

Anyhow, it was late by the time I finally settled on the topic I believed God would have me use, so by the time it was written it was already early afternoon and time to fire up the pellet grill to cook some bacon cheeseburgers for lunch.  As they cooked, I worked at the formatting and scheduling of the prayer guide to be ready for Sunday — otherwise it would have been far too easy to get sidetracked by lunch and forget to finish up the project.  After lunch, it was time to call it a day, as far as most of my work tasks, and begin the process of going through the photos from our fall break adventure.  I ended up taking more than a thousand photos so, with a few short breaks, the rest of the day was spent doing some minor adjusting to them and deleting a handful of them that just didn’t turn out no matter how much editing I tried. 🙂  The photos were a good reminder of the value of spending time as a family deliberately noticing the incredible creativity of God in the midst of a variety of creation.

With no new photos taken during the day, I went back to one from the lighthouse we stayed in during our trip.  The lighthouses are always a reminder to me of the need to let our light shine so that people would see God working through us.  The light not only served as a warning of potential danger, but it served to aid in navigation so those on the water could find a safe passage to where they needed to be.  Our light needs to include an element of warning, but it also must be used to direct people safely to where they need to be.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• It is important to me to be able to have a routine in which I find balance while allowing for breaks in that routine in order to find rest and variety.
• The best routines need to be flexible enough to allow for the needs of people.
• The family functions best when it works together to care for the needs of each member.  Knowing this makes me pray even more for those who find themselves leading a family alone.
• Triage– the ability to organize and prioritize based on urgency of need — while most often used as a medical term, is an important concept to understand and practice in everyday life.
• Sometimes just doing something faithfully week after week or day in and day out, has a way of accumulating results we could never plan for.
• When I sit down on a Monday morning to write a prayer guide, God doesn’t expect me to write enough for the next 5 years — He only wants me to do the task that is in front of me today.
• For me, remembering isn’t nearly as difficult as remembering the right things.
• Reminders are a good thing as long as we pay attention to them.
• Photos serve as good reminders for me; not only of things I’ve done and places I’ve been, but of God’s blessings and presence wherever I go.
• At times, people say my photos are a gift.  I often view the scene that I photograph as God’s gift to me and because of that I believe I am responsible to share it.
• Most gifts we receive from God are meant to be shared so that the entire body is built up.
• My light ought to shine in a way that warns people of the danger that satan wants to draw them into.
• My light also ought to shine to guide people to the safety that is found in Jesus.